12th August 2026

12th August 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 2:24)


Message (Alan Burke)


Back in my school days, there were many, many times I remember the entire school getting a rollocking from the Head Master or the Deputy Head because of how the school was getting a bad name because of our actions. Now it wasn’t all of us, but everyone knew fine well who it was, and it was never me, and I know it wasn’t me because I took my blazer and tie off and put a hoodie on. If everyone else had the same sense, we’d have avoided those school assemblies. What had happened that caused the rollocking? Well, the reasons were many and varied, but the school’s name was mud because of some individuals.


The result of the attitude among the Jews in v17-23 was that it had caused God’s name to be blasphemed among the Gentiles. God’s name was mud; it was mocked, but it was much worse than my school’s name. This is not a new indictment that was being labelled against the Jews; this had been said of God’s people before in salvation history. In Isaiah and in Ezekiel, the Lord, through the prophets, had condemned His people for how God’s name was blasphemed among the Gentiles (Isa 52:5, Ez 36:22). Because of the sin of God’s people, it caused the name of the Lord to be blasphemed. The issue here in Romans was one of hypocrisy, claiming to have a higher standard as God’s people than is met with reality. This last indictment on one level is not shocking, but it is heart-wrenching that the sin of God’s people was such that it led to the name of God being blasphemed among the Gentiles. 


Sadly, today there are many who cause God’s name to likewise be blasphemed. “If that is what a Christian is, I want nothing to do with it”. Ever heard that? I have heard it and understood why it was said, and the result is much worse than the school I went to getting a bad name; rather, it is our God getting a bad name because of His people. In part, for the Jews that Paul singles out, it was because of a deficient understanding of God and His law that they were hypocritical, claiming to have a higher standard as God’s people than is met with reality, and for us, it can be any number of reasons. There is one that it shouldn’t be for, though, and that is claiming to have a higher standard as God’s people than is met with reality. 


While Scripture is clear that we will always fall short of the Glory of God in this life, but that should not be an excuse; when we sin, we should confess it, we should bear one another’s burdens; if we are harbouring hate against another, it needs to be dealt with. If we have a broken relationship, try to mend it; are we paying our bills on time, are we good at knowing everyone else’s business, are we always coveting, do we think our sin doesn’t matter because they don’t hurt anyone, are we full of judgement against others, only happy coming to worship when it suits our seclude? There are so many ways that we can regularly cause the name of God to be blasphemed because of our example and witness. On this side of glory, we will never be sinless; we should show that for us, while we are sinners, that the accusation of hypocrisy is not valid because we are not pretending to be sinless, to be something that we are not. When we are confronted with our sin, we should be those who are willing to do something about it; otherwise, the name of the Lord will be blasphemed because of us.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q37 What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A. The souls of believers are, at their death, made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves until the resurrection.
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